SPENCER, N.C. – The N.C. Transportation Museum’s Christmas events are complete, but there is another seasonal museum tradition as we approach the new year. Special "Winter Fever Train Rides" are offered for families during the down-time between the Christmas and New Year’s festivities, Dec. 27-30.

After the hustle and bustle of shopping, family gatherings and company parties, the week between the holidays provides time to get out of the house for some family fun. “Winter Fever Train Rides” give families a great opportunity to visit the N.C. Transportation Museum, browse the wonderful exhibits, visit the museum’s Gift Station and enjoy a 25 minute train ride around this State Historic Site.

The museum’s on-site train ride provides views of the town of Spencer and the former Southern Railway repair facility, including the Roundhouse, Back Shop and the Master Mechanics Office.

In the Master Mechanic’s Office, visitors can view wagons and buggies, some of the earliest forms of wheeled transportation, and find out how settlers moved into North Carolina.

The Bumper to Bumper exhibit has an incredible and unique display of classic and antique automobiles. Those vehicles include the Willys Knight, steam and electric powered cars from the innovation years of the auto industry, the 1940s era Chevy pick-up truck, Ford Model As and Ts and even a Ford Model R from 1907.

The Bob Julian Roundhouse, of course, is where the iron horses are kept. Steam and diesel locomotives and railroad passenger cars are housed in the 37 bay Roundhouse. Visitors can see the size and scope of these behemoths of yesteryear, the steel beasts that first tied the country together. Passenger cars from the segregation years and the most luxurious private rail cars are also on display.

Also in the Roundhouse, imagination takes flight with a full size replica of the Wright Brothers “Wright Flyer” alongside other aviation exhibits. The flyer is on long-term loan from the Wright Brothers National Memorial in Kitty Hawk, N.C. and gives visitors and up-close view of one of the most defining moments in transportation history.

As Southern Railways largest steam locomotive repair facility in the Southeast, much of the Spencer Shops railroad facility buildings are intact and as much a part of the visitor experience as the exhibits. The museum grounds are an important part of the region’s history, a place where 3000 skilled workers once operated around the clock to keep the nation’s passengers and goods moving from place to place.

Tickets for the museum's "Winter Fever Train Rides" can be purchased at the Barber Junction Visitor's Center at the N.C. Transportation Museum on each event day.

Winter Fever Train Rides are offered Dec. 27 – 30 at 11 a.m., 1, 2 and 3 p.m. Regular museum admission rates apply and include the on-site train ride. The cost is $12 for adults, $0 for seniors and active military and $8 for children. Admission to the museum without the train ride is $6 for adults, $5 for seniors and active military and $4 for children 3-12. Children 2 and under ride are free.

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About the N.C. Transportation Museum

The N.C. Transportation Museum, located in historic Spencer Shops, the former Southern Railway repair facility is located just five minutes off I-85 at Exit 79 in Spencer, N.C., and about an hour from Charlotte, Greensboro or Winston-Salem. The museum is part of the Division of Historic Sites and the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources.

About the Department of Cultural Resources

The N.C. Department of Cultural Resources annually serves more than 19 million people through its 27 historic sites, seven history museums, two art museums, the nation’s first state-supported Symphony Orchestra, the State Library, the N.C. Arts Council, and the State Archives. The N.C. Department of Cultural Resources serves as a champion for North Carolina’s creative industry, which employs nearly 300,000 North Carolinians and contributes more than $41 billion to the state’s economy. To learn more, visit www.ncculture.com.

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